Designated Survivor S01 E10 – Running in Heels

We open to the car crash, where Agent Hannah Wells is either dead or unconscious. Some dude comes to check on her, and he seems really kind, talking to her all calmly and telling her not to move her neck. Then he strangles her. Um… what? Why spend all that time comforting her if he’s an assassin who’s supposed to kill her? Maybe the show thought using misdirection here would add tension, but it just ends up making this guy look like the most incompetent assassin ever. I bet I know where he buys his assassin-gear.

Doctor Who S04 E18 – Excuse me while I ugly cry.

After a recap of what happened last time, we jump straight into the credits. Farewell, Russell T Davies era credits and title screen. I love you forever. (M: I'm glad the farewell tour is starting so early!)
DOO WEE OOO!

Doctor Who S04 E17 – This is a terrible plan.

We open in space. We zoom past the Moon to Earth. A narrator tells us that in the last days of planet Earth, everyone had bad dreams. Except that everyone forgot because people are dumb. Well, one person remembered. We zoom in on Wilf(!!!!!!), watching happily as a Salvation Army band plays Christmas carols. He hears a maniacal laugh in his head, and shakes himself.

Gilmore Girls S01 E08 – Snow Presents

Oh hey, it's great to be back in Snark Squad HQ and it's even better that Mari let's me ramble about one of my favourite Gilmore Girls episodes.

Sweeney: Mari's out with a case of having the world's most inhumanly absurd schedule, but I agree that she is very great. (K: I have been wondering if she has a time turner somewhere.) Gif dance party for Mari in the comments. I'll start:

Designated Survivor S01 E09 – Wearable Wallpaper

We begin at night, in some random office building. A middle-aged guy sits in his cubicle, looking around furtively as he copies something onto his laptop. Then we get an aerial shot of him sitting in a bathroom stall, opening said laptop with a screwdriver, and then removing a tiny storage chip from the hard drive inside it. Not sure that’s a thing, but let’s go with it. (S: The only way to survive SnarkTV, really.) He places the chip into a tricked-out quarter that opens to reveal a cavity that perfectly fits a tiny storage drive. Cool!

A Series of Unfortunate Events S01 E04 – Impotent Rage

Look away, look away!
Lemony says there is no word to describe waking up and knowing instantly that something is wrong. (Dani: Sure there is: "Monday") (Annie: Truth.) This is what happens to the Baudelaires the morning after we last saw them (bad feeling, not Monday), as they wake up to the sun rising and not thanks to their Uncle Monty.

20 Reasons Buffy the Vampire Slayer Endures – #BuffySlays20

Almost five years ago, our baby website decided to expand from its usual fare (the terrible books we read as children) to cover a TV show. At the insistence of my friends, I'd watched the pilot episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer even before the founding of the blog. In fact, "Childhood Trauma" was the first name of this blog, thanks to the classic line in the pilot. When it came time to pick a show to cover here, it seemed natural to start with Buffy.

Charmed S03 E07 – Andy-love

The episode begins with Cole and Phoebe kissing in bed, so I already don't like it. Phoebe says that she feels like Cole pulls away whenever they get close, and he responds by literally pulling away and turning from her. (M: Wow. Phoebe is good at picking up on these things.) Phoebe presses a bit more for some truth and Cole transforms into his demon form and attacks her while going "RAWRRR." Just kidding! It’s a nightmare.

Gilmore Girls S01 E07 – Dean ruiner.

We open in the town square, prepping for one of their adorably ridiculous town festivals (get used to these - there are a lot of them!), with Lorelai bemoaning the fact that she hasn't had clean underwear in three days. When Rory asks what she's wearing under her skirt, she replies with, "Not underwear."(#RoleModelMom) In Connecticut. In October. Without stockings or anything. It could not be more clear that the show was produced in California.

A Series of Unfortunate Events S01 E03 – Everyone dies.

Credits, which now allude to the fact that the Baudelaires are with Dr. Montgomery. The song tells us up front that this adult is also going to be bad at adulting, so cool. On the bright side, I didn't know I could love these credits more, but they are CUSTOMIZED. I already know I want to rewatch all the credits once I finish the series and my memory is more fresh on what all the little tidbits are. (S: Agreed, this is a very exciting development.) (A: They were a little spoilery, but it brings me joy, so.)

Charmed S03 E06 – Empathetic

Prue is in the kitchen trying to telekinesis a fork off the counter. We hear the tinkle that usually follows her powers, but the fork won't move. Phoebe walks in having some kind of a fashion meltdown, but since her Pocahontas-inspired handkerchief top is no worse than 99% of what she's always wearing, IDK what the emergency is. When Phoebe realizes that Prue can't move the fork, she worriedly asks if Prue's lost her powers. Prue says you can't lose what you never had and disappears.

BrainDead S01 E13 – Laugh and Cringe

The title seems particularly apt know that we know 1) CBS did not renew BrainDead, and 2) a Twitter troll won the election.
Marines: And he keeps on trolling.
Dani: As always, we begin with our singing recapper — only this time he’s performing live for us, right next to the brownstone where Laurel, Rochelle, and Gustav are gathered. The show starts right where the last one left off, with Laurel telling the Scoobs that she knows what the space bugs want, and she knows how to stop them.

Designated Survivor S01 E08 – Barely not vomitting.

I take full responsibility for getting us behind on this show. Between the December blues and life, this fell to the bottom of my list. The good news is that there are no new episodes until March so we have time to play catch up! Also, the still of this episode on the ABC app is Leo looking as whiny as Conor from Angel.
Dani: That alone would have derailed my motivation.
Marines: I already watched this episode but that description makes me wish I could unwatch it.

Supergirl S02 E04 – Super not even trying.

We open on Daxam on The Day that Krypton Died. Fireballs are raining down on the planet and Mon-El and the Prince are running. They find a Kryptonian Ship that some dead emissaries left behind. Mon-El insists that the Prince escape in it but the Prince admits he cannot fly it. Mon-El gets in to pre-program the destination and then the Prince shut him in because he's wounded and wants to go down with his planet.